Is the Five-Second Rule a Myth?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The #Five-Second Rule# states that the amount of bacteria an object collects when dropped on the floor depends on how long it was on the floor. I am trying to find out if that rule is a myth, and whether wet or dry food collects more bacteria. I hypothesized that time is not a factor in the amount of bacteria an object will collect, and that wet food will collect more bacteria. Methods/Materials I took a cracker and salami and rubbed them on petri dishes. I dropped a cracker and salami on the floor, picked them up after three seconds, and rubbed them on petri dishes. I did the same thing, but I waited thirty seconds instead of three. I did the same thing again, waiting sixty seconds. I repeated each step three times. I waited three days, examined the dishes, and collected data. Results I found that time is not a factor in the amount of bacteria an object will collect when dropped on the floor, and that both foods collected about the same amount of bacteria.

Competition history

• CSEF 2009 Microbiology · Entry J1731

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